>> a new development in the case against mayor sheila dixon. her formal boyfriend may not testify after all. the details straight ahead. >> head of state intourist. president obama in beijing today. that story coming up. >> a sarah palin is promoting her new book. we want to know what you think if she is using this book as a prelude to a presidential run. that is our watercooler question of the day. >> 11 news starts right now. [captioning made possible by constellation energy group] captioned by the national captioning institute

--www.ncicap.org-- >> good morning. >> thanks for joining us for 11 news today. >> it will get a little cooler the next couple of days, but it is not bad weather. we will chop down into the 50's today. let's take a look at the current conditions under partly cloudy skies. 50 degrees at the maryland science center the average height is 56. a couple degrees above normal. a bit of a change from yesterday however. us see what is happening in the traffic department. >> we have one problem coming

in. a southbound on the j.f.x.. the accident is creating a bit of a delay on the beltway. we have to rhineland's closed. you may want to take an alternate road. it is not affecting traffic on the north side. it will shortly. a disabled vehicle on the key bridge. if you're heading across the bay bridge westbound, debris is taking of the center lane we look and senator -- center lane. we will continue to monitor the j.f.x. for you. here is what is going on at the key bridge. stay to the left. you can get by this. >> our big story this week.

>> a focus on a who gave the mayor the kit carts and who they were meant for. jennifer franciotti is outside with more details. >> developer ronald lipscomb was thought to be a key witness in the prosecution's case against mayor sheila dixon in providing get cards she is accused of stealing. he may not be called to testify before the jury. defense of the case. turner said dixon suggested and

target. he bought $500 worth of the cards at eight stores in 2005. prosecutors say she used most of the cards to buy things for herself. he felt the cards were dropped off at city hall in an unmarked envelope. were the gift cards intended too be used for personal use, a person -- a prosecutor asked. turner said no. he said that the cards were for christmas gifts for children. the defense is expected to go witness. we will have more on the defensewbal tv. >> our coverage continues

online wbaltv.com. click on the link at the top of the home page. >> daughters who abused her guilty moments before jury selection of the trial. when paramedics of private -- arrived, they found the mother in the bed. the mother was stabbed. she had bedsores from lying in feces. the women cash checks from the state to care for the mother who was a paraplegic. >> i was upset. endured such terrible tragedy by her child.

looking for a six-year sentence. the sentencing hearing is on december 28. has been convicted of having a child pornography. a search and seizure of his personal computer found additional videos of child pornography. he faces up to six years in prison. he will be sentenced january 19. >> the bill requiring pregnancy centers to post signs about their services is one step closer to being passed. city council president says the bill was prompted by a growing number of complaints. >> i am not interested in harassment with there being problems for these centers.

we want to make sure that when a woman comes in, that she knows what she is getting when she walks in. >> clinics would have to pay $150 fine if they violate the>> president obama is focusing on economic and security issues with the meeting with the this morning. ceremony inside, it was a welcome for president obama. every detail was preset fee for a series of meetings between some of the most influential leaders. >> the american people are interested in stronger relations with the people of china.

>> obama pledged tighter budget and in the u.s.. >> a strategy where america reduces long-term debt and where china makes the adjustment across a broad range of policies. tougher line on iran and north korea. on climate change, he was trying to get them agreed to clean energy initiatives. >> barack obama is not going to get much out of china. they want to know what is in it for me. barack obama is not offering very much. >> what a magnificent place to visit. >> he toured the city, the heart of china's government. a-and the president honor. he is not coming away on any concrete winds on his biggest

priority. in washington, and wbal tv. campaign towards the white house in 2012. the much anticipated autobiography of sarah palin will address all of those she was on oprah winfrey yesterday. she says she was often left out information and chastised about >> if i were to respond to the questions of reporters candidly -- if i said how i felt about it in michigan, i found out that they would say, you screwed up. >> that brings us to our watercooler question of the day. presidential run? watercooler@wbaltv.com.

>> coming up the morning's financial news in a bloomberg business report. >> we will tell you where this overnight blaze was. >> the space shuttle went to one of its final wishes -- missions. >> santos house is lit up at the harborplace downtown. he will make a big arrival this weekend. that is for you just ahead. >> we are checking on your morning commute. getting a little bit busier. we will update you

>> welcome back to 11 news today. >> signs of a holiday season are popping up around the town. >> sandra shaw is here with more. >> this is a special effect for santa's arrival happening this saturday at 4:30. it will be quite a spectacular. tell me what we will see. >> we decided to let the santas house in style. we will have the orchestra, special effects, and the

maryland -- heart of maryland chorus. santa is going to arrive. he will be greeted by some else. it will only be snowing here not everywhere else on saturday. there will be photo opportunities. >> santa will be open for business as soon as he lights up the place. pictures will be taken inside and outside. >> let's check out the real radar. things are fine in baltimore. things are moving into the area. into the ohio valley later on. the heart of this system is in the middle of the country. we will get increasing cloud later on today and tomorrow. some showers possibly. cannot wait for the holiday

season to kick off. santa really makes it real. over to you. >> it cannot slow -- snow unless it is in the forecast. thank you. a 45 degrees are now in frederick. the temperatures are significantly cooler than the time yesterday. yesterday we were in the 60's. sunday in the 7's. the system we are watching is what sandra was talking about. we will stay dry. a big area of high pressure blocking it from coming in. it will produce a northeast wind. they will see is an increase in the cloud cover. the temperatures will be cooler

today than yesterday. the activity will stay to our west for the time being. nell advisories are in effect. during the day tomorrow, the northeast when will stay in place. we will have an increase in cloud cover and a chance for rain showers by wednesday evening. it should stay dry during the evening. high temperature, 55. high temperatures on thursday in the mid 50's.

chance for showers on sunday. a high near 58. >> good morning. a problem that continues on the j.f.x.. is. to be a while. take falls road or york. the accident will be clamoring for some time. we will let you know if it starts to impact traffic on the beltway. a new accent on the 97 inner loop. a nice ride on the north side. it is still living well despite the accident on the j.f.x. let's take a look outside.

so far looking pretty good. there is the accident on the inner loop. over to you. >> taking a look as some of our top stories this morning. >> covering the nation, sad newsauthorities have found the bodythey found the body nearly athe mother has been charged with felony child abuse and human trafficking. another person is in can't it -- is connected with her disappearance. a blaze erupted and quickly grew in one area. firefighters were able to bring it under control before it got two out of hand. >> the shuttle lifted off from kennedy space center yesterday. it was a launch that nafta called flawless.

-- that nasa called flawless. parts to the international space station. the trip will last 11 days. it is scheduled to have a three space walks. >> talk about outsourcing in the consumer report. more americans are getting work overseas. with the unemployment rate at a 26-year high, americans are finding better opportunities out of the u.s. india, china, brazil, and dubai. president obama is speaking on a taboo subject, and the undervalued currency in china. >> headlines about the dollar and china's currency.

president obama has emphasized the need for china to keep moving toward a more market- based a valuation for its currency. it is high due to the u.s. dollar most economist believes is undervalued. it threatens any long-term global economic recovery. president obama says he and the chinese president should be discussing spurring demand in china. stocks are rallying to a 13- month high thanks in part to rebounding retail sales. a down day for human genome science. their experimental drug cannot be sold in the u.s. until the fda gets more information. smart phones are gaining popularity. millennial media as saying that

it just raised key dollars in capital investment. at the new york stock exchange, i am reporting for wbal tv. >> you have probably heard that moderate amounts of alcohol could be healthy for your heart. doctors are can best that it is not good for your risks of breast cancer. -- convinced that it is not good for your risks of breast cancer. patients should not have more than a glass or two a week at most. >> even one drink a day, it may be good for your heart, but not so good from a breast cancer standpoint of. >> the doctor says you have to play your own risk factors to make the best decisions about your health. >> another check on weather and

traffic straight ahead. >> highlights from yesterday's a ravens game. >> and a look at the winning lottery numbers. hope you have them. hey there, this is your lamp. why don't you show the lady how romantic you can be by turning me off? you'll set the mood while using a lot less energy. maybe later you can hook me up with a cfl. it will show how much you care for the environment.

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>> here is a live view of traffic right at the beltway and i-97. an accident was just cleared from the left shoulder. it looks a lot better than last checked. it is a live view of the north side of the j.f.x.. right now it looks ok. an accident in the southbound direction on the j.f.x. approach in northern parkway. take falls road as your alternate. a 30 minute ride on 95 south. let's check the forecast with tony. >> i did not think there was any

fog out there this morning. a little bit of cloud cover. the forecast for today, a mixture of sunshine and cloud. a high of 59. >> joe flacco said it was an ugly win. he was right. it was a win. 16-0 the ravens beat the browns. it was a huge game. not a sellout in cleveland stadium last night. it was a shutout until the third. joe flacco to derrick mason, a 41 yard gain to the browns' 13

yard line. the touchdown scoring machine, no. 27, ray rice. his fifth touchdown of the year. the ravens get another point here. right to landry. terrell suggs down the sideline. defense not through yet. they had several sacks. terrell suggs gets cut down in an illegal block that was called. he will probably get fund for that. joe flacco said it was not pretty, but it is a win. >> we work hard all week in a fight during the game. any time we go out there and get a win, we are happy about it. we are excited and ready to go

into the next games. >> the colts' next week and the steelers after that. >> thanks. >> much more to come this morning in the next half hour of 11 news today. >> a new development direction the trial against mayor sheila dixon. buwe will tell you what that is about coming up next. >> we may have some good news on the accident on the j.f.x. we will tell you about any lingering delays and what else is going on in the area. >> santa will be pulling up by boat this year. i have the scoop coming up. here here is what is coming up tonight on "jalen note."

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>> good morning. >> thanks for joining us. we have a look at the forecast with tony pann. >> pretty quiet this tuesday. a little cloud cover. the forecast for today, in the 40's by now. cooler than yesterday, but not bad for this time of year. we have a little bit of rain in the seven-day forecast. we will show you that in a few moments. >> thanks. >> our big story this morning, will the prosecution team rest sheila dixon? >> the former boyfriend may not be called to the stand after all. jennifer franciotti joins us with the new details. >> >> developer ronald lipscomb was thought to be a key witness for the prosecution in their case against mayor sheila dixon.

he provided the gift cards that she is accused of stealing. they may go after his credibility however. on monday, prosecutors got help from a developer regarding what the mayor may have done regarding the gift cards. one witness put a dent in the defense. the cards were never intended for the poor but for her personally according to the witness. but turner told a different story. he said sources used. $500 was a botched from both stores in gift cards. got to her. he said that he knew what the gift cards were for. he said it the cards were not to be used for personal use. what were they intended for the

prosecutor asked. he said, christmas gifts for children. the witness ran from cameras after his testimony yesterday. he ran at the mayor's holly trolley tour. he was convicted -- convicted of stealing seven gift cards used on a tour. of them. if they call lipscomb as a witness, the defense will attack his credibility. call let them to the stand, theythe prosecution -- if they do defense will move that the tactic is not likely to happen. wbal tv.

>> the city council president is speaking out about nine shootings in four days. the spike in violence creates a need in the deployment of officers. >> i have a lot of confidence in the plan. we may change some tactics, but the plan is right where we expect it to be in getting stronger all the time. on especially on the violent offenders walking around with guns. >> longer sentences and no parole have led to a dramatic in other cases. police will be doubling the number of crime cameras could bring the number down further. responsible for a shooting of another teenager.

the teenager is likely to frequent cherry hill. his whereabouts, called the crime stoppers. the coast guard is investigating the discovery of a body found. a man was reported missing. an autopsy has been sent to the medical examiner. it fell from a 25 foot barge. the debate over a swaps parlor arundel county. the president of the company at the mall is taking extra steps to ensure residents that the family fun atmosphere will not change due to a casino that could be built there. >> we are not attaching the

casino to the mall. the casino will be in a separate building with a separate entrance. >> they love to have a license for this location soon. county rejected a measure that would ban tanning for teenagers. one plans to prepare a lawsuit to fight the band in another county. there is a ban in howard county and some tanning owners want to overturn. >> october revenues -- that are less than 2008. the revenue dropped from the year before.

general funds are lower than this time of year last year. lottery funds were up. >> checking on the morning commute. things looking better than the last check. we had an accident southbound on the j.f.x.. it is gone. we a moving a lot better from the belt way down into the city. it did lay on the outer loop and heading toward edmondson. will sit alicia early on i-95 shortly. -- we will see a delay shortly on i-95. looking good at the fort mchenry. carl bildt -- harbor tunnel looking good.

you delay starts at 895. let's check in with sandra getting us into the holiday spirit. >> time to get onto the holidays. christmas, hanukkah, santa is making his arrival here this weekend at harborplace this saturday starting at 4:30. city block. >> it is a competition using building blocks. >> what does it involve with the kids? >> they have to build with us. teams work together. they appeared preparing for a couple of weeks now. we are excited. >> it is going to be a blast.

taking place this saturday. there are photo opportunities with the santa as well. let's take a look at the seven- day forecast. a beautiful start today. things deteriorating somewhat tomorrow with a slight chance of showers. a break on saturday. back to you. >> coming up, it is hard to say who, who, who, with an air tank and mouthpiece. >> and we will get to your answers to the water crowell

>> delivering gives in one area. delivered early presence to a they are trying to boost holiday sales.>> unfriend is a new word in the dictionary for the next year which means to remove a friend from a social networking site. it gained popularity, the social networking site facebook. other terms include sexting and

netbook. >> coming up, we will take a look at the morning headlines. >> summer rain to show you in the seven-day forecast. a beautiful sunrise in progress right now. [ thunder rumbling ]

who says lightning never strikes twice? introducing the supercharged new blackberry storm2. wi-fi enabled. ultra responsive. tons of apps. and because it runs on the network with 5 times more 3g coverage than at&t, it just may be the perfect storm. ♪ this is the sound >> it will be up to a judge to determine the descendants of for a pair of women who are responsible for the abuse of their paraplegic mother. >> daughters who abused her

mother could spend many years selection of the trial. the mother was stabbed. she had bedsores from lying in feces. child pornography. a search and seizure of his personal computer found additional videos of child pornography. he faces up to six years in prison. a possible first move in a autobiography of sarah palin will address all of those topics. it is already a top seller and yesterday. she says she is not thinking about running for president. local analysts say she is testing the waters. >> that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. this morning we asked, do you think sarah palin's book is setting up a future presidential

run? one person says, what has she done that anybody would want to read about? >> another person says all mothers should say those sarah. >> another person says, from what i hear, the book is all about her. it does not take this book to show the world that she is not qualified to be anything more than watches, a twitter extraordinaire. >> she may make a bid for president in 2012 or 2016. either way, she would be in a better position than the current occupant in the white house. >> good morning.

volume-related delays in one area. an accident at metal borrow and hopkins creek waned in essex. -- middleborough and hopkins creek lane in essex. a bus is involved there. i-70 showing signs of backing. a slow go on your approach to the beltway northeast. a lot of you outside. -- live the view outside. that is the latest on traffic. we are checking in live with

sandra getting into the holiday spirit. >> i am impressed. it is already slowing. we are talking about santa's arrival. he is arriving saturday at 4:30. not just any a rival. the reason why is that this person is behind the special effects. what are we going to see? >> we want to welcome santa the way we welcome the ravens. sumner confetti, pyrotechnics -- planning and design, we are making sure that this is a lifetime event. -- one-of-a-kind event.

>> it is not cold this morning. thankfully no snow here. eight system in the plains states which will affect us later in the week. >> in my neighborhood, there are lights up already. thank you. 45 in frederick. a little bit of cloud cover. we do not expect precipitation today. here is another look at the system that santer was talking about. a couple of spring goes near

pennsylvania. -- sprinkles near pennsylvania. this northeast wind flow is cooling down temperatures. high temperature may be near 60 in a couple of places. sunrise coming up in a few minutes. partly cloudy skies tonight. high pressure will still be with us tomorrow. clouds will thicken up. because of the increase in the cloud cover, the temperature wrote rollback a few degrees.

the beginning of the weekend should be fine. temperatures around 60 on thursday and friday. some showers on sunday. >> time for a last look at our big story. the prosecution continues its case that mayor sheila dixon used gift cards for needy families for her personal use. >> the former boyfriend may not be called to the stand after all. patrick turner testified yesterday that he was asked by dixon to buy gift cards. it was to be bought from a

target and best buy. when asked on the stand if he thought it was used for personal use, he said dannell. it was to be used for christmas gifts for children. the prosecution may end of resting their case today. if that happens, the defense is expected to ask the judge to dismiss all the charges against dixon based on the grounds that the prosecution failed to prove its case. this is standard strategy that typically fails. >> time for a look at what is coming up next on the "today show." >> good morning. coming up on today, when should women start getting mammograms? there is a new recommendation that most women do not need one until they turn 50. sarah palin is lashing out at newsweek magazine for this cover photo.

and the father of her grandson did a photo shoot for "playgirl." a practice tied to on-line shopping that some investigators are calling a scam. and some items up for auction from michael jackson. >> just ahead, another look at weather and traffic together before you head out to start your day. but no drink? no chips? and no chance to win madden nfl 10? man, that's roughing the wallet. now this is the total package. two pieces of kentucky grilled chicken, a side, biscuit, and a madden nfl cup.

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>> we are at santos house at harborplace. santa will be making his bigger rival at 4:30 this saturday

afternoon. saturday whether looking pretty good. current statistics this morning, looking pretty good. a gorgeous sunrise. cut -- 41 at bwi. have a good one. >> thanks. that was a gorgeous shot. >> yes. >> let's take a look at a seven- day forecast. a mixture of sunshine and clubs today. wednesday and thursday, a chance for showers beginning wednesday night into thursday. it should be a fairly quiet today. all we need is a good storm and tony will be happy. >> let's check traffic. an accident in essex.

normal delays on southbound 95 and on the west side. drive time 19 minutes. that is liberty which is backing down there. >> plans for joining us for 11 news today. >> do not -- thanks for joining us for 11 news today. .